Books to head into 2017 with a healthy body and a healthy mind
Words Helen Brown
Wellness is a concept that seems to be cropping up all over the place now – but how do you define it? True health involves the whole person, including our social, emotional and spiritual dimensions. Wellness relates to making choices that help you achieve your highest potential and ensure that your body is functioning at its most optimal level. After the decadence and indulgence of the holiday season, this has never seemed so appealing. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up some of the most insightful books to kick start the new year with both a healthy body and a healthy mind.
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up
Let decluttering guru Marie Kondo revolutionise your approach to tidying with an illustrated guide to her acclaimed KonMari Method. The book features step-by-step folding illustrations for everything from shirts to socks, plus drawings of perfectly organized drawers and closets. She provides advice on frequently asked questions, such as what items to keep and which to dismiss of and guidance on specific categories including kitchen tools, cleaning supplies, hobby goods, and digital photos. A tidy desk equals a tidy mind and this comprehensive companion is sure to spark joy in anyone who wants to simplify their life.£20.98, Amazon.
The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time
In our fast-paced, constantly digitally simulated and sleep-deprived lives, the need for a good night’s rest is more important and elusive than ever. Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post, both sounds the alarm on our worldwide sleep crisis and provides a detailed road map to the great sleep awakening that can help take back control of our lives. From £8.99, Amazon.
Start Where you Are
This beautiful full-colour journal is designed to help you nurture creativity and focus on what matters most. Featuring exercises to spark reflection through writing, drawing, chart-making and more this is a powerful tool for positive change. £10.99, Anthropology.
Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World
Break the cycle of unhappiness, stress, anxiety and mental exhaustion with this best-seller of simple yet powerful practices that can be incorporated into daily life. The book is based on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, a practise revolving around mindfulness meditation which takes just a few minutes a day for the full benefits to be revealed. For those struggling to keep up with the constant demands of the modern world, this publication helps boost happiness and confidence levels whilst reducing anxiety, stress and irritability.£14.99, Waterstones.
How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy
The way we respond to food, exercise and stress varies person-to-person just as much as our fingerprints. Written by the grandfather of holistic health Paul Chek, this provides a step by step plan for addressing all areas of health, from nutrition and digestion to hormones, exercise, breathing and thinking. £14.99, Amazon.
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
We spend most of our days nourishing the physical. In this book, Michael Singer explores the question of who we are and arrives at the conclusion that our identity is to be found in our consciousness. She teaches how to nourish the soul, align subtle energies in our body and connect with the real you. Singer shows how the development of consciousness can enable us all to dwell in the present moment and let go of painful thoughts and memories that keep us from achieving happiness and self-realization. From £11.30, Amazon.
